


The Inevitable Connection of Our Harrowing Lives

by thesinfulangel_and_thepieprincess



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Hurt Dean Winchester, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Orphan Castiel, POV Castiel, POV Dean Winchester, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 17:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13194864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesinfulangel_and_thepieprincess/pseuds/thesinfulangel_and_thepieprincess
Summary: Dean has been stuck in the same small town for his entire life. He raises his brother while his father works at the local hospital. Dean has a plan for his life, go to community college, marry a pretty girl, and have kids, just like his father. However, when a new boy with burn scars shows up to the school without any preamble, Dean's world is shaken. He pursues Castiel with unending energy, practically able to smell the strangeness rolling off him. What Dean thought he knew turns out to be wrong when Castiel teaches him the true way of the world and how two things can be affixed across a great span of experiences.





	The Inevitable Connection of Our Harrowing Lives

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Sam.

The alarm clock goes off and Dean sits up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It seems as if it was just a moment ago that he'd fallen asleep. His cat, Petunia, yawns from her post on his window sill. Dean turns on his lamp and notices the time on the clock. It’s 7:10. The first day back from winter vacation and they're going to be late. He's going to kill Sam. 

"Shit," he mumbles. Dean hears a soft chuckle come from the hallway. He throws off his blankets and yanks open the door. Sam stumbles back, a look of terror crossing his face. Dean reach for him but Sam slips from his grasp. His brother's bedroom door slams with the locking clicking but Dean bangs on it anyway. 

“I’m going to murder you and then eat your first born child,” Dean yells through the door. 

“How are you going to eat my children if you kill me first," Sam replies. Dean slams his hand against the door one last time before walking back to his room. That’s the second time that kid has changed his alarm clock settings this school year.

“It’s 7:15, you’d better be ready in fifteen minutes.” He looks through his clothes and settles on a red shirt that doesn't smell that bad even though he pulled it from the dirty pile. He pulls on a pair of jeans that are lying on the floor of the closet and shuts off the light in his room. Dean picks Petunia up and puts her in the hallway because she's crapped on his bed when being stuck in his bedroom for an entire day. He doesn't want to get bitched at over that again. He runs to the bathroom with only seven minutes to spare. 

The reflection in the mirror isn’t his favorite. Red eyes stare back at him and his face is flushed and splotchy. Dean washes his face, brushes his teeth and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks at himself again, it’s not the best but it’ll have to do. 

Dean grabs his book bag, bangs on Sam's door and jogs down the stairs to eat breakfast. The cat yowls from her need to be feed but he ignores it for the time being. The light is on the kitchen, probably forgotten by his father because Dean sees no sign of Sam. The fridge door is open and Dean curses that stupid cat. She had done this before, nearly spoiling everything. Dean is the one that will have to replace all the food that goes bad. 

He moves to close the door but Sam's lanky body appears from behind it. Dean jumps back and steps on the cat who screeches and runs off. 

“Dang, I should have gotten that on camera,” Sam says. Dean flips him off before pushing his brother out of the way. Sam guzzles apple juice straight from the carton. Some of it works its way down his chin. Dean looks with disgust at that thin trickle of juice, wanting to stop staring at it but not being able to. 

“Please leave, I can’t keep looking at your ugly mug without barfing,” Dean says. He shrugs and walks out of the kitchen with the carton still in his hand. Dean inwardly shudders and turns back to the fridge. His stomach growls again, reminding him of his true goal. 

The fridge is mostly empty, save for a lone mushy apple. He grabs it and pushes it into the front pocket of his back pack. Dean will have to find time to eat it today. 

“Let’s go,” Sam yells: his voice muffled. He is already in the car when Dean gets into the living room. Sam has always been an "on-time" all the time type of person. Even when they were young, he would remind their father that Little League was at 5:00 not 5:15. Sometimes he would wave his little hand, ushering them to hurry up. So, Dean doesn't understand why Sam changes his alarm. Just being a dick, he guesses.

Dean locks up the house and speed walks to the car. He almost trips over a rake hidden in the leaves that are inches deep in the yard. The chill of winter has made the gears in the car door stick and Dean has to wrench hard to get it open. The car is an old 2004 Mustang, a piece of crap that his Uncle Bobby bought him two years ago for a couple thousand dollars. Tree limbs had fallen on it during the heavy part of the winter and busted the window and damaged the body of the car. Dean doesn't have the time or the money to fix it. It's can't compare to the Impala. He won't think about that though.

Dean throws his backpack in the back seat and starts the car. Sam glares at Dean and plugs his phone up the AUX cord. Instantly, what my grandmother called “Rave Music”, comes blaring put of the stereo. Dean rolls his eyes and wishes he'd gotten there before Sam. they would have been listening to only the classics.

He shifts the car into drive and pulls away from the curb. Petunia watches them drive off through the window, her green eyes seeing their future.

Dean parks the car in their usual spot, Sam is out of the car before he can barely stop it. Sam pushes his hood over his eyes and stoops like an old man. He throws cutting glares in the direction of some of the more exhilarated peers. He’s only a freshman but he already hates it. Sam can be such a pessimist sometimes. 

Dean takes a deep breath and gets out of his warm car. The smell of high school hits him in a wave. It’s a mixture of sweat, smoke and excessive amounts of body spray. People think they have to take a bath in the stuff to get the point across. 

The school building looms in front of Dean like the gates to hell. He shudders and marches forward like the good little soldier he's supposed to be. 

“Winchester, wait up,” a voice shouts from behind him. Dean turns around to see Benny bumping and jostling through the crowd. He pushes some unlucky freshman aside and almost barrels over a group of sophomores. By the time he reaches Dean, he is red-faced and breathing heavily. 

“Did you go to the party last night,” he asks between gulping breaths. Dean shakes his head in reply to Benny's question and starts walking. 

“Well, it was epic. Half the girls were making out with each other’s boyfriends and Crowley toilet papered his own house.” Dean lets out a low chuckle and pushes through the crowd, trying to avoid the late rush. 

Benny keeps a hand on his backpack to keep track of Dean as they make their way to the third floor. The late bell rings just as Dean gets to his locker. He pulls out the books for his next two classes. Dean walks into homeroom, his group of friend’s waving him over from where they are sitting. They are deep in conversation when Dean gets there.

“It’s not like I’m a slut or anything, I just made out with a random dude at the party. No harm, no foul,” Meg says. 

“I think that kind of constitutes as a slut stereotype though. And oh it was epic; I’ve never seen that much tongue in my life. It was like we were in a porno or something,” Benny replies. 

“Hey, no slut shaming while I’m around,” Charlie chimes in. Dean slides into the seat beside Ash and tucks his books under the chair. 

“So, did you all go to the party this weekend,” Dean asks. Suddenly everyone drops their gazes and won’t meet his eyes. “Well, why didn’t you tell me you were going to go together? I would have loved to hang out with you all. It’s been so long.” His tone is hard and biting and he regrets it the moment he started talking but he doesn't stop. It stings that they didn't think he'd come. 

They shrug and Charlie opens her mouth to say something but Benny gives her an almost negligible shake of the head and she shuts it again. Dean narrows his eyes at Benny and makes a face to show that he's still waiting for his answer. Benny sighs but starts speaking anyway. 

“It’s just that we know you don’t like parties and sometimes you can kind of hate on them. Just a little bit though, like the tiniest bit.” Charlie and Kevin's pale complexions blush bright red but Benny and Meg show no sign of their shame. Ash is snoring. If they wanted Dean to be the bad cop, he won't show any mercy. 

“Wow, you guys really are assholes, aren’t you? It’s rich calling me a party pooper when I don’t want to spend my weekends making out with random guys.” Dean glares at Meg. “Or tripping out on acid at church.” He levels his gaze on Kevin and he pipes up but Dean silences it with a shake of the hand. Deans starts to get up, but stops and turns around again. 

“On the topic of kissing, Charlie did you know that Meg made out with Glenda while you were still dating her?” She whips her head around to stare at Meg. Meg lowers her head almost to the point of her chin touching her cleavage. 

Dean puts his hand to his cheek in mock surprise and says, ”Oh! You didn’t know that? Well, I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news.” He marches out of the classroom and hides out in the bathroom until everyone switches classes. No one comes looking for him. 

The world seems to have lost its glow by the time he gets to lunch. His teacher yelled at him during math for writing with a pen and he had found out that he is failing P.E 

The cafeteria only has a few tables so at the start of the year there are always turf wars over them. Luckily Dean's friends managed to snag one after a group of emos were disbanded. Dean sees them now at the table but he doesn't go over to sit with them. The looks they are giving him are enough to keep him away. He doesn't see Meg with them either so that makes him a feel a little better. 

Dean decides to go outside where he can sit under a tree. The winter weather is cold enough to make hi, shiver so he turns his back to the wind as much as he can and pulls his leather jacket around him. Lunch food never tastes that good but today’s meal turns to dust in his mouth. 

Dean can see his table from the window. Benny's shoulders heave in laughter as they always seem to be doing. He is a huge guy who is the school’s star linebacker. Kevin is the token outcast, being bisexual, Asian and goth. Dean only real became his friend after Kevin yelled at him for not knowing how to do something as "simple" as the quadratic formula during sophomore year math. Charlie is a tiny stick of a girl, who spends more time in a virtual world than their own. Meg, is called One-Drink Masters because it takes only one shot to get her hammered and ready to party, but actually has a huge heart. Bella’s father is rich and she is always up to date with the newest fashions. Ash is Meg's best friend, and so just kinda was adopted into the group. He smokes a ton of weed but still manages to make it onto the Scholar List. 

Dean has always liked to think of his friends as independents, not saddled with the superficial hierarchy of high school. Maybe they are as superficial as he thought. Benny sees Dean looking and just shrugs. Dean nods and Benny turns back to his conversation. Dean spends the rest of the period scratching words into the dirt. 

Sam is twenty minutes late to meet him at the car. Dean thinks about leaving him there to figure out a way home when he sees Sam a far ways off. He’s with one the sketchiest guys in school, one of those people with sliver tongues and big hands. Ash buys his weed from the guy. Dean spies him hand something to Sam and walk away, his head turning side to side to spot if anyone had seen him. 

Dean jumps out of the car and slams the door which makes Sam turn around. He sees Dean coming and meekly tries to make his 6’1 frame smaller. 

“What is in your pockets?” He looks confused so Dean casts a glance down to his jean pockets. “Empty them,” Dean says.

Sam rolls his eyes but ponies up. He takes two dimes, a piece of gum and two tickets out of his pockets. 

“See nothing, Jacob just heard me talking about this musician I like and he sold me tickets to a concert.” Dean must still seem suspicious because Sam sighs and stuffs everything back. “I’m not a druggy Dean, you can trust me.” 

Dean pokes a finger at him and says, “If I ever find hear of you smoking pot, I swear to god I’ll find you and drag you to hell.” Dean makes my dramatic exit and after a belated pause, Sam joins him. He stuffs in his ear buds and ignores Dean but he doesn't mind one bit. 

It is late afternoon and Dean is taking a shower when he hears his phone ding about twenty times. Dean finishes washing under his armpits and towels himself off before he looks at the messages. They’re all from his friends, saying sorry and how they would go out that weekend. Dean didn’t get one from Meg, though. It was his fault after all; it would have to be his job to apologize. Dean decides to call her and finds the contact in his phone. It rings three times before she picks up the other line. 

“What do you want, Winchester? I’m kind of busy at the moment.” Dean hears a deep voice saying something like, “come back to bed” but it is muffled. He sighs. Meg won't listen to anyone and won't change the ways that will one day get in her in trouble. 

“Look, I’m really sorry I told Charlie about you and Glenda. I was just really upset and I should have never betrayed your trust like that.” There is a long pause but a groan comes through the phone. 

“I guess it’s fine, I did tell Kevin about how you trashed his mother’s house last New Year’s.” Dean winces at that memory, it was a bad time. He'd broken a lot of stuff that Kevin's mother blamed him for.  
“Ok. Thank you so much, Meg.” 

“I have to go but please talk to Charlie about forgiving me.” She hangs up after that and Sam yells that takeout had come. 

Dean almost trips down the stairs because he can smell the food and he hadn't eaten much. The Chinese boxes are on the table and Sam is already helping himself to a large portion. Dean pushes him out of the way to try to get some of the sweet and sour chicken and he glares at Dean. 

“You don’t have to be so rough. Jeez," Sam complains. 

“It’s not my fault that you eat like a lumber jack. I’m just trying to get some dinner before you shove it all down that hole you call a mouth.” 

“It's not my fault I inherited dad's large appetite and handsome features while you just got his bitchiness."

“Who ever said you were handsome,” Dean shoots back. Sam glares at him again and purses his lips into a thin line. 

“Stop doing that or you’ll turn into Bobby,” Dean says. He rolls his eyes but Dean knows he has won. They watch Naked and Afraid until Sam falls asleep on the couch.

Dean shakes him gently awake, he puts out soft grumbles until Dean almost drags him off of the couch. 

“You need to get into your bed. You’ll complain about having a sore back tomorrow if you don’t.” All Dean gets in reply is a grunt so he gives up and turn off the lights. 

After about ten minutes he hears Sam come up the stairs. He shuts the door and Dean listens as the bed springs creak when he flops onto the bed. 

Dean sets an alarm and texts Charlie. The night is quite, almost too quiet. Dean slowly drift into unconsciousness, Petunia purring out a lullaby.


End file.
